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Introduction

Jeremy Sutton English IB 2 Commentary Adam Bede: Tone and Detail The author's tone in the passage from Adam Bede represents Bede's nostalgic feelings for the past, and his disapproval of the present. The tone shows that Bede loved many things of the past, the old fashioned ways of doing things, and now the present is too different and progressed and Bede is no longer comfortable. The detail in this passage aims to compare and contrast the past and present. Bede describes something of the "Old Leisure" and compares it with the present equivalent. He prefers the Old Leisure of the past, yet he feels that Old Leisure is now unwelcome in society, passed up by the new technology and improved leisure of the present. ...read more.

Middle

It also dictates the importance and historical value of the prison door. The citizens must feel that the door has a special significance. The point of view in this passage is taken from the third person limited perspective. It was most likely in the eyes of an onlooker, watching the townspeople in front of the prison door. The point of view carries through the whole first chapter, describing the setting, time, and significance of the door. It shows the crowd of people outside the door, from the "bearded men in sad-colored garments and gray, steeple-crowned hats, intermixed with women, some wearing hoods, and others bareheaded," all assembled in front of the door. The point of view takes a blast into the past, where it explains the historical significance of the prison door. ...read more.

Conclusion

Then he transitions into the present, where he informs that our nation is "engaged in a great civil war," and the nation will not be able to hold together much longer. Lincoln brings a ray of light into the dilemma, saying that they should "dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that the nation might live. Then Lincoln transitions into a larger sense of the predicament. He mourns the dead, admitting that he could do nothing for them except to resolve the war so that they did not die in vain. He proposes to honor these fallen heroes by introducing a birth of freedom. He says that the "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. ...read more.

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our AS and A Level History of the USA, 1840-1968 section.